BlackBerry BBM on iOS and Android updated with Find Friends feature

BlackBerry has rolled out a Find Friends feature to its BBM for iPhone and Android apps.

BBM isn't like text messaging where it uses a phone number, so having a way for users to easily find their friends and contacts already using BBM is a necessity. "The Find Friends feature is something that BBM users have been asking for and we’re now bringing it to them," BlackBerry told Pocket-lint.

The Find Friends feature will detect which contacts are in your smartphone’s contact list and who is already using BBM. From there, choose a contact to whom you'd like to send a PIN invite. BlackBerry wants you to spread the love too, so it has included the ability to invite contacts that don't yet have BBM.

The Find Friends feature is a smaller update coming before BlackBerry pushes BBM 2.0 "soon". It will feature video and voice sharing and BBM Channels, which will be used to monetise the service. BBM Channels also adds a social networking feature, allowing users to gain followers and share content like on Twitter. It has been in testing on Android since early January.

We expect improvements for the cross-platform BBM service to continue for the foreseeable future. BlackBerry chairman John Chen said it was one of BlackBerry's four focuses going forward. That's likely because the company added 20 million BBM users in one week after the launch on iPhone and Android in October 2013.